


The World's Weird With You

by SinfulExistence



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Check notes at beginning for possible triggers, Game Spoilers, Gen, Neku has a weird life, No pairings but squint and tilt your head if you want one, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 01:11:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17653172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SinfulExistence/pseuds/SinfulExistence
Summary: Being a winner of the Reaper game in Shibuya isn't all that easy. Especially when you can't seem to get those supernatural elements to quite leave you alone.





	The World's Weird With You

**Author's Note:**

> This idea just kinda vaguely popped in my head and I ran with it. I had no concrete ideas for it and just kinda wrote it as it came to mind, so it may be a bit weird, a bit ooc, and maybe not that great. But I wanted to share it anyway. 
> 
> There are some mentions of subject matter that may trigger some people, thus the rating of the fic. There are mentions of child negligence, bullying, and losing the will to continue living. These are touched on briefly and are not given heavy emphasis, but I figured I should warn regardless.

Neku wasn't sure when he'd started truly becoming part of Shibuya. He was born and raised here, but he'd never really been a _part_ of it, always closing himself off. Until the game.

Most people would probably be traumatized by what happened. Maybe, he had thought time and time again, if he was a normal human being, maybe he'd have avoided this place like the plague. Avoided the reminder of all the pain and heartbreak he'd experienced here.

And it was true. There were a lot of parts of the city where he'd feel a slight tensing of his muscles, darker memories swirling in his head of the mess that had been the game.

At the same time, it wasn't all bad. He'd seen different styles, heard different music. Met different people, learned different ways of living.

He hadn't lived as strongly before as he did after he died. Which was funny when he thought about it.

Initially, after the game, he'd done exactly what one would expect: he fled. He went to school as normal and spent as little time as he could manage in Shibuya proper. He would occasionally get dragged there by Shiki, Eri, Beat, and Rhyme, but they seemed to understand his trepidation. Beat and Shiki in particular seemed to share it, but made themselves face it head-on for Eri and Rhyme, who weren't bothered by Shibuya in the least. Eri had no clue about the game and Rhyme had spent so much of the game unconscious to what was really going on that she wasn't too traumatized like the rest.

Eventually though, Neku found himself sneaking more and more to Shibuya. Sneaking was the only word he could think of for what he did. Not only did he make these visits without the others, but he moved stealthily, as if that would hide him from the eyes of the Reapers. He realized it was ridiculous, the Reapers probably didn't even pay attention to him since he was in the RG and outside the game now. Joshua, Mr. High-And-Mighty-Composer had a lot of other important things to do, he was sure. Still, he felt like an intruder. Like eyes were on him. So he snuck. He poked around to all the places they'd been, facing his demons and remembering the three weeks that changed him so radically.

There came a point where he was more than comfortable being there with his friends. Eventually, he was comfortable with or without them there. At some point, Shibuya had stopped being this foreign, frightening thing, and became almost like an old friend. He found that he felt more at-home with the gang at Shibuya than with anyone at school or at home.

Three years of maturing also probably helped. Three years was a good amount of time to come to terms with such an event.

He shook his head from his reverie, pushing off the wall he was leaning on and stepping into WildKat, "Hey Mr. H."

Sanae looked away from his coffee to peek over his shoulder and give a rough grin to Neku, "Hey Phones! The usual?"

Neku nodded and strode up to the counter, dropping some yen bills on the counter and taking the coffee he was offered. At the raised eyebrow on Sanae's face, Neku guessed the question and shrugged, "Day off school. Didn't stop one of our guys from getting the flu and the boss asking if I'd work on my day off."

"Sounds rough, boss."

He didn't really sound _too_ sympathetic, but Neku didn't really dislike it, either. He'd been working at the Jupiter of the Monkey store for the past few months as a part-timer while he worked on finishing high school. Juggling senior work with actual work had actually been kind of a nice distraction for him. Between studying for exams in WildKat and his part-time job, he probably spent more of his life on Cat Street than anywhere else at the present.

It did come with a weird fusing of his normal life with the Game, though. Mr. H kept him informed of what was happening in current games. He also found that, rather than be bitter about his win, a decent amount of the Reapers actually had an odd respect for him. Maybe it had to do with the fact that his victory kept their Shibuya intact, but he found they would do anything from greeting him while he was working to even sometimes slipping him an extra tip, something that was nice but a little annoying, as if he couldn't fend for himself.

The really weird one had been the birthday card he'd gotten his first birthday after his time in the Game. It was passed to him by Mr. H from the Conductor and had a message, thanking him for his part in saving Shibuya. It was really bizarre to get thanked by the Conductor of all things.

He guessed this sort of thing was just his life now.

Neku leaned his back on the counter, sipping his coffee and letting the sounds of the brewing behind him soothe him, "More hours means more money... So what's the scoop?"

Sanae leaned on the counter on the opposite side, just to the side of Neku, resting his elbows on it and looking at the ceiling, "It's been tough, Phones, I ain't gonna lie."

Neku frowned and let out a sigh. There was a freak accident on the trains recently. Somewhere between a badly-maintained section of railing and a particularly bad earthquake, the train had derailed, flipped, and skidded into a train station full of people waiting to board. It was.... well, terrible didn't cover it. He wasn't sure any word in their language was enough to convey how bad it was.

It resulted in 27 people dead and many more injured and sent to the hospital. He wasn't sure, when he'd heard about the accident, just how many people were going to participate in the next game. He had a feeling that it would be a lot and he wasn't wrong. Two of the passengers were old and didn't mind passing forward and another two were too scared at the prospect of a game in which failure meant being erased. The other 23 wanted a chance to live. It wasn't an unheard of number of players in a single game from a single location, but it was still a lot of people.

Sanae let out a sigh as well and elaborated when he saw Neku's eyes cut over to him, "A lot of Players have it in their heads that everyone around 'em is competition and the Reapers ain't doin' much to correct 'em on it. I mean, it ain't right, but it ain't really wrong either, in a way."

Neku cut him off, "Yeah, but bumping off Players isn't gonna increase your score. You're better off cooperating."

The barista gave a snort, unable to help his amusement at Neku saying that, of all people, even after all this time, "Yeah, well, try tellin' 'em that. And yeah Phones, I _have_ tried, but there's only so much you can do with words, you know? Their terror runs real deep, some of 'em."

He gave a nod of understanding, "I could see that. Where's the Player count at now?"

Sanae pushed off the counter to move a finished brew so he could start on another one, "Seventeen."

Neku threw away his empty cup and gawked at the older man... angel... whatever, "Wait, how? Wouldn't there be someone without--"

"Yeah, without a partner. I was surprised, too, but the Player is at least bein' crafty about it. Been avoidin' all the big tussles and focusin' on keeping himself safe until someone completes a mission."

The redhead frowned, "Yeah, well... that'll work as long as others are doing the missions, but..." He didn't really have to finish. They both knew how that sentence would end. He gave a huff, "Man though, those are some tough Players. Seventeen out of twenty-three? Either the Reapers are losing their touch or they are trying to mess with their heads. Lull them into a false sense of security or let their numbers stress them into making mistakes."

Sanae let out a laugh, "It still amazes me how well you think like a Reaper. I'm pretty sure you're right about the last part. Mind games seem to be this Game Master's thing."

Neku gave him a grin and a lift of his eyebrows, "Oh? And what else have you been hearing? I know you have more dirt than that..."

He pretended to think about it a moment, but then Sanae shrugged, "Weeeell, I may have heard some Reapers whisperin' about some sort of ambush today around Towa Records..."

The younger of the two groaned in frustration, "Seriously, is that just some sort of designated spot for Reaper ambushes or what?" He looked at his watch, "Eh, well, I need to get over to work and help the boss open. Thanks for the coffee."

Sanae called after him as Neku left the cafe, "You mean thanks for the gossip. I know you don't come here because my coffee is the best in the city!"

No. No he most certainly did not. But... you know.... it _did_ grow on you after a while...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Neku leaned on the counter, watching a couple of customers look at this and that. He could tell their type. Window shoppers. He could almost guarantee they'd be leaving empty-handed. He would occasionally look down at the magazine he had spread on the counter before him, checking out the new line coming next fall. He wasn't too much of a fan of orange, but he couldn't deny that the designs were as awesome as always.

His eyes drifted up as a customer came in from seemingly nowhere, face twitchy and eyes darting. Any other retail worker might have seen this as suspicious behavior. A thief, maybe. But, Neku knew better. His eyes swiveled to the door, waiting for the guy's partner to come in after, but no one seemed to be coming. The only movement was one of the customers that had been in the store leaving. Without buying anything. _Called it_ , Neku thought sourly.

His eyes went back to the new customer. He wondered what happened. They could have gotten separated from their partner, or their partner could have possibly been erased. He remembered what Sanae said about a stray Player and wondered if this might be the one. He certainly looked scared enough to be the one Player playing Keep Away with himself.

He looked the guy over. Kid, really. He couldn't have been more than thirteen or fourteen years old. It made Neku wonder if his hiding strategy was a strategy, or a scared little kid running away and just being lucky enough to run instinctively _away_ from the Reapers. The kid was definitely wearing Jupiter of the Monkey threads, though he was pretty sure the shoes were from Tigre Punks. Not a bad thing. The kid had messy brown hair that he had a feeling was usually worn spiky, but was drooping from lack of upkeep. At least the kid seemed to prioritize survival to image.

He crooked his finger and motioned for the kid to come over to the counter, waiting until he was closer to talk to him, "Hey. Need help finding anything?"

Despite the friendliness to his tone, he could see the kid tense up something terrible. He shook his head, looking like he was debating between hiding in a corner of the store or running out the door.

And probably into the Towa Records ambush.

Yeah, okay, no way he was letting that happen. There wasn't any rule against _Neku_ interfering just a little, right? Right.

He watched the other customer walk out (empty-handed, again), then looked at the scared player. Neku turned his magazine upside-down and motioned for the kid to come closer, "Then let me ask _you_ an opinion on something. You think this shirt is worth the color?" He pointed to one of the shirts in the magazine, looking at the kid questioningly.

There were a few moments where he could see the wheels turning in the kid's head. Assessing the question, whether the person was a threat, then lowering his guard and finally actually looking down at the magazine. His brows furrowed and then he squeaked out, "What's wrong with orange?"

Neku almost wanted to laugh. He expected the kid to shrug or maybe agree with his unspoken disapproval of the color. He hadn't expected the kid to get defensive. Maybe the kid wasn't as broken as he was afraid of. He gave a shrug, "I dunno. It's a bit bright for my tastes. I mean, I get it. They wanna use colors that remind you of fall, right? But why orange? Brown is also a fall color and it's more neutral, right?"

The kid leaned on the counter and let his eyes skim the magazine before murmuring, "Yeah, but even when colored, a lot of the bottoms for this brand tend to be what could be considered neutral. It often looks better to have a neutral top and colored bottom, or to do what JOTM does and use neutral bottoms with colored tops."

Neku grinned at the top of the kid's head as the tension drained out of him. That was better. Stress made you careless. This was also a good way for him to distract the kid as long as possible. He had no clue how long they had for today's mission or when the ambush would happen, but as much as he knew he shouldn't mess with the game or its Players, he couldn't help the part of him that wanted to save this kid from erasure today if he could help it, "Now that you mention it, you're right. I guess I'm just letting my own color prejudices come out."

The kid chuckled, showing the orange shirt under his jacket and the orange stripes along his shoes, "I guess some people are just meant to agree to disagree, huh?"

It was Neku's turn to laugh, "Yeah, seems like it." He motioned to the kid, "What's your name?"

The kid's posture tensed again, possibly without him even realizing the question unnerved him, and Neku was afraid he wasn't going to answer. After a minute or two, the kid put his hands in his pockets and shrugged, offering up a small "Ritsu" in reply.

Neku nodded, "I'm Neku. Nice to meet you, Ritsu." He closed the magazine and offered it to Ritsu, "I've got more in the back if you want this one."

Ritsu took the magazine quietly, the tension easing somewhat. Neku wondered why he was under the impression that a shopkeeper might be out to get him. Or, maybe anyone really, based on how restless his eyes were when he came in. Either someone didn't explain the rules well to him, or maybe he was tricked in some way by someone he thought might be trustworthy. He made a mental note to bring that up to Mr. H later. He wasn't sure if there was a rule about it, but it would be shitty to find out that Reapers were ambushing Players by pretending to be regular people. It was cruel and underhanded and he didn't want to imagine it was happening.

He was brought out of his thoughts by Ritsu mumbling some excuse as he was backing for the door. Neku felt a surge of panic. If he left the shop, Neku had no way of tracking him down or stopping him and he had no clue what was going on in the Towa Records area at the moment, "What's the hurry? Can't stay and chat clothes?"

Ritsu thankfully stopped moving toward the door, but he didn't look any more comfortable with the situation, "I.. umm..."

Neku was floundering in his head, trying to think of how to deal with the situation, "Not used to people wanting to chat with you?" He wanted to kick himself for the wording. He meant to ask if it was new for people he didn't know to try to chat him up, he didn't mean to make it sound like the kid was unapproachable or otherwise insult him.

Oddly, almost miraculously, instead of throwing curses or running for the door, Ritsu shrugged his shoulders, looking too small in his own skin right then, "Yeah, a little..."

Oh. Wow. Shit. Well this was a fine can of worms he decided to open. Like Shiki had taught him though, there was nothing wrong with listening, even if you couldn't help someone. He took a deep breath and motioned for Ritsu to come sit on a stool by the counter, "Wanna talk about it?"

Ritsu looked around, presumably to look for other customers, then considered the stool offered him, still wary. Neku gave him a little push, "It's cool if not. I just figured it helps me to blow off steam if I talk to someone about it. Besides, it looks dangerous out there today. The weather, I mean." Thankfully, today _was_ kind of overcast and gross-looking. It hadn't been so bad this morning, but Neku would bet that if he stepped outside right now, the air would be thick with the precursor to a rain storm.

His excuse was poor, but the word he'd meant for Ritsu to focus on anyway was "dangerous," which definitely seemed to work, as it was a lot easier for Ritsu to make the decision to stay with Deku and not go back outside with the Reapers.

The two were quiet for a moment. Neku was afraid of saying something that would scare the kid away. Years of _trying_ to read people now had caused Neku to be a good deal better at doing so and he had a feeling the kid was trying to figure out how to word his problem to Neku in a way that didn't explicitly mention the game, Reapers, or the fact that he was dead. He didn't rush him, because he damn-well knew that if _he_ were in this position, he'd have a hard time of it, too.

Finally, Ritsu spoke up, "I'm not so sure I should have come to Shibuya." He let out a sigh, "I did it cause I kinda felt like I _had_ to, you know? Someone tells you... um, dares you... and you gotta, you know? To show you're not afraid. But it was a mistake. This place is big and scary and even if I go home, no one cares anyway. So I don't even know if I wanna go home, either."

Neku frowned, "What about your parents? You don't think they miss you?"

Ritsu shrugged, "Probably not. They ignore me most of the time. Dad is always busy and mom hates me."

The matter-of-fact way that he said it didn't fool Neku, movements around his eyes and the corner of his mouth giving away suppressed anxiety at the statement. Neku shook his head, "Your mom can't _hate_ you..."

The kid nodded in response, "She does. I think she blames me. She was supposed to have twins. I survived. My sister didn't. I think mom wanted a girl. She probably wishes I'd been the one that died instead."

Neku frowned, "That's not fair at all. Has she ever said this to you?"

Ritsu looked uncomfortable, "Well, no... but why else would she ignore me and glare at me all the time?"

Neku didn't really have an answer for that other than the ask another question, "Any other siblings? Friends?"

Ritsu shook his head, "Only child. And the kids at school bully me. I don't really have friends there." The tone of his voice hurt to listen to. Resigned, but pained. He was like Neku was so long ago, but instead of lashing out and closing himself off to convince himself it didn't hurt, this kid was still reaching. He wanted companionship and for someone to give a damn, but no one was reaching out to him.

Ritsu shrugged uncomfortably, unsure why he was comfortable talking about such things with a stranger. Unconsciously feeling a connection to Neku. He looked down at his hands, clasped in his lap, and mumbled, "That's why I figure... maybe if I just leave Shibuya and don't go home, things'll be easier. I can just kinda... do my own thing?"

Neku could read between the lines. The kid was talking about just letting himself be erased. Essentially suicide. Not really, but just about. He frowned. This wasn't really his thing. Usually he was the logical one. Shiki had always been better at finding the right words to say to make someone feel better. Or even Mr. H. Mr. H would know what to say. He had the urge to temporarily close shop and ask him to help handle this. But no... Mr. H was the Producer, he had said. There was a limit to his interference. Neku had a feeling that dragging a scared Player at the end of his rope to Mr. H might not be entirely welcome, especially if this became a habit.

Eventually, he spoke up, choosing his words carefully, "When I was younger, I was in the same boat. No one wanted to talk to me. So I convinced myself I didn't want to talk to them either. If we couldn't understand each other, maybe we just were never meant to. Then I... uh... came to Shibuya." When the look he was giving Ritsu didn't seem to set in with the kid, Neku added, "For a week." He watched as comprehension lit the kid's eyes and they widened to the size of dinner plates. Neku put a finger to his lips to shush him before he could ask questions, "Three weeks, actually. There were some... issues while I was here. It's not common, but it happens." He sighed, "It was hard, I'm not gonna lie. Shibuya has a lot of people in it, each with their own goals and ways of doing things. Heck, I was unlucky enough to not even remember why I was in Shibuya in the first place. But I kept pushing. I made friends in Shibuya who were there for the same reasons. We worked together to make it to the end of our time so we could go home. And then we went home, together."

He realized he was going off on a tangent and tried to loop back to the relevant parts, "Anyway, one of my friends I made here, she felt the same way you did, kinda. She had a best friend that, according to her, was better than her in every way. She was talented in the things my friend wanted to be talented in, had tons of friends, was pretty... all that stuff. And a Rea--" He caught himself, "A really mean guy decided to remind her that even after everything she was doing here in Shibuya, if she went home, she'd still be herself. She was here in Shibuya, pretending to be perky and cute like her best friend, but it was to hide the parts of herself she didn't like. She felt like she wasn't needed. Like what we were doing in Shibuya didn't matter anymore." He groaned, "Ugh, look, I know I'm rambling again and you're probably wondering what this has to do with your situation. Well, I guess other than her also considering just kinda.... not going home... nothing. But, like... if you don't go home, if you just give up on going home or staying in Shibuya, then you really _will_ be alone, you know? Like, Shibuya is tough. Definitely. Probably one of the toughest places to survive in. But imagine how much easier things like making friends and going to school will be by comparison. Besides, don't you still have questions for your mom? Do you really want things to end like this?"

Ritsu considered Neku carefully. He didn't look particularly convinced or cheered up, but Neku hadn't entirely expected him to. Whatever was going on with Ritsu was something that a ten minute chat with a stranger in a clothing store wasn't gonna fix. He just hoped it made _some_ sort of difference.

After a minute, Ritsu surprised him by asking, "Can I by here tomorrow and... and talk some more?"

A grin spread on Neku's face, "Yeah, kid. Anytime."

Ritsu blinked and looked down at his palm, letting out a sigh of relief. Neku chuckled, "Day up?"

Ritsu grinned up at him, the look brightening his face considerably, "Yup." He slid off the stool and Neku led him to the door. When they stopped, Neku offered a fist, "One day at a time?" Ritsu's fist bumped against his, "One day at a time."

He watched the kid disappear out the door, watching the street as if he could still see the guy for a few minutes. He then turned and nearly yelled out loud to see someone leaning against the counter.

It was an older man, probably mid-20s from the look of him. Messy blond hair, violet eyes. A pair of black slacks and a white button-up. Similar to a certain someone else he knew from a while back, but not exact. If Neku squinted, he could swear the man had some sort of inner glow and... wings? But he really had to look, to the point where it strained his eyes and hurt his head.

Sly lips curled up into a smile that was familiar to Neku and instilled a sense of unease, "My, Neku, playing the role of a mentor now? How nice."

_Joshua._

He didn't quite look the same, but there was no mistaking that drawl. At Neku's staring, the Composer smirked and gave a condescending shrug, "I don't have to down-tune myself so hard when there's a decal, so I can look a bit closer to my actual self if I want. Honestly, Neku, don't tell me you've forgotten everything already."

Neku gave a large, exaggerated eyeroll in the hopes Joshua would catch it, stalking past him to grab another magazine from the back then sitting back behind the counter to read it, pointedly ignoring Joshua. When all he could feel was Joshua's eyes on him and it seemed like talking wasn't going to happen, Neku finally lowered his magazine, "Look, am I in trouble?"

Joshua gave an exaggerated lean back, one hand over his heart as if the mere suggestion shocked him, "Why, Neku! Why do you assume a visit from me has to be about trouble? Aren't you happy to see an old friend again?"

Neku leveled Joshua with a look and the Composer gave a shrug, seeing that Neku was, as usual, unwilling to play along with his theatrics, "No Neku, not necessarily. While I'm not too happy with you interfering with a Player, there isn't specifically a rule saying that you can't, being someone who is external to the Game." He rested his elbows on the counter and propped his chin up on his hands, staring at Neku with a look that, if asked to describe, Neku might consider his "Composer look." It was unnerving to see a serious look on his face and Neku found himself slightly intimidated for the first time concerning Joshua, "However, we need to have a talk about the other part of your discussion. Namely, telling a Player of your ex-Player status."

Neku bristled and, intimidation forgotten, scowled at Joshua, "I didn't _tell_ him anything. I only said I was in Shibuya for a week. Whatever he makes of that... is his... own....." Neku trailed off, the eyes in front of Neku reminding him of the sort of looks his mom would give him when he tried to get out of trouble on a technicality. Was this on purpose? How far did the Composer's knowledge go? Could he look in Neku's brain and find exactly the sort of expression his mother would make when--

"As fascinating as I'm sure your current train of thought may be, enraptured by it as you are, if you could kindly climb back out of your head and into this discussion with me, I would appreciate it, Neku."

Neku shook himself out of his train of thought and blushed at getting caught and in trouble. He was almost missing the usual Joshua he had to deal with. It was much easier to lash out at Joshua for being a jerk than dealing with some ancient being that wasn't pleased with what he considered a breach of the rules of his Game.

That thought got him bristling again. How many of the usual rules had been bent and broken for the Game he was part of? Granted, it had been a special game for the future of Shibuya, but the point remained that obviously the rules were only so important when it was someone else breaking them.

Joshua sighed at Neku's lack of attention again, poking his forehead and easing up slightly, "Look, Neku. You aren't in trouble. Yet. The fact that you were so vague is the reason I'm letting this go. Just consider this a warning that, should you do this for any other Players, or get more specific with your references, there may be... penalties."

"Like what?" Neku didn't _mean_ to come off sounding like a petulant child. Really, he didn't. Maybe.

"Like having your reward for your previous victory revoked and being erased."

Neku swallowed past the lump in his throat. Okay, that was some motivation. After a moment to settle himself down, he looked at Joshua with narrowed eyes, "Speaking of breaches in protocol, what is the Composer doing here to tell me this in person? Surely this is something one of the lesser Reapers or even Mr. H could have relayed to me?"

The playful, sly smile was back on Joshua's face with a vengeance and he pinched Neku's cheek, despite a yelp of protest from him, "Aww, but then I wouldn't have gotten to see my precious partner again."

Neku growled and took a swing at Joshua, but with a laugh the Composer up-tuned his Vibe and disappeared from Neku's view entirely. Knowing Joshua could probably still see him, he gave him the finger and continued with work.

The next morning, the finger wasn't quite a strong enough reaction for seeing Joshua in WildCat and Sanae had to kick him out for excessive profanity and bothering the 'customers'.

No words were enough for when the Composer kept coming every morning, just to annoy Neku.

This was his life.

Oh well. At least he had a life again, he supposed?


End file.
